The Children of the Ring
by Falcon Horus
Summary: Four children and their dog. A Bringer of Death and Destruction. A new Keeper called Fraiser. And DNA that resembles SG-1's! Okay, I suck at summaries.
1. Chapter I

Title: The Children of the Ring  
  
Author: Falcon Horus  
  
E-mail: thot_bastet@hotmail.com  
  
Category: action/adventure  
  
Rating: PG-13  
  
Spoilers: The Nox  
  
Summary: Just a small introduction into the youngster's world.  
  
Disclaimer: Stargate Sg-1 and its characters are the property of Stargate (II) Productions, Showtime/Viacom, MGM/UA, Double Secret Productions, and Gekko Productions. This story is for entertainment purposes only and no money exchanged hands. No copyright infringement is intended. The original characters, situations, and story are the property of the author. This story may not be posted elsewhere without the consent of the author.  
  
Author's notes: Okay, first of all I would like to thank my new beta for beta-ing my newest fic! Thank you Shannon! Second, I hope you'll enjoy this and remember feedback is much appreciated. --------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Two girls, two boys and a big bad-looking dog were lying on the steps leading up to the Stone Ring. The two girls were lying on the left, the boys on the right and the dog in the middle. Alexandra and Laura were wearing blue trousers and a yellow T-shirt. Dominico and Marco, on the other hand, were wearing red trousers and a green T-shirt. The four of them were barefoot. They had long blond hair held back in a pigtail and bright blue eyes. They each had a small dagger tied up to a leather belt around their waists. They were obviously twins. The dog looked like a Husky but he was a tiny bit taller. He had white cheeks, black pointy ears and a fur with all shades of grey mixed together. In fact he looked a bit more like a wolf.  
  
The sun was setting in the sky and long shadows ran across the small clearing in the forest. Birds were singing their eveningsongs and busy bees returned to their hives. Although night was coming quickly the four youngsters didn't move. They kept on staring at the sky as if they were waiting for something. They witnessed how the four moons and the many stars surrounding them replaced the sun.  
  
"You think it's true?" Alexandra turned herself on her stomach and looked at the other three youngsters. Her gaze drifted to the ring and her eyes locked with the top-symbol. The four of them knew all the symbols by heart but weren't allowed to use them. They even had one particular symbol tattooed on their foreheads. It was one that wasn't on their ring, which had intrigued the four ever since they had been given the tattoo.  
  
"The Scrolls have never been wrong before." Dominico moved a little so that he was able to look straight at Alexandra.  
  
"But I mean ... it's been hundreds of years!" Alexandra straightened her back and moved into a sitting position, allowing the dog to rest his head on her lap.  
  
"So?" Laura followed her sister's example and sat herself against the ring.  
  
"Laura, if the Scrolls are right then everyone we know will be dead or hurt by dawn tomorrow!" Alexandra looked upset at the other three.  
  
"Yes, but if They are right then four strangers will come and help us fight back." Marco smiled and shifted a little so that he too could see his brother and their two friends.  
  
"And where do you think they will come from? According to Master Guido our village is the only one."  
  
"I don't know that. I just know that if the Scrolls are right they will come but I don't know from where!" Marco shook his head a little. They knew the Scrolls and they knew the stories but they had never really believed them, as they had been legends from long ago. The four needed to see proof first before they would believe any of it to be true.  
  
"Yeah well, I hope the Scrolls are wrong." Alexandra looked up to the clear sky and started to count stars until she dozed off into a peaceful sleep.  
  
The other three quickly followed Alexandra's example and were soon playing games in dreamland. But somewhere after midnight the four youngsters were suddenly awakened by a distant sound, all thanks to their perfect hearing. Finn hadn't alarmed them but they knew he would hear the sound in a few seconds as well. The sound of a thousand bumblebees came closer and suddenly a black shadow flew overhead. The four dropped to the ground as one and Finn growled deeply, more out of fear than out of defense. Another shadow flew overhead, and another.  
  
"The Wings of Death?" Laura looked at the two boys.  
  
"The Scrolls are right!"  
  
"What!" Alexandra looked from the three into the direction the shadows had disappeared. For a second she froze and then she started running, straight to the village. The three others followed her and they all hoped against hope that this was just part of some freaky dream.  
  
By the time the four had ran up and down the last hill, they could see the thick smoky clouds rise up from the village. They could hear the Wings of Death fly by every few seconds, bombing the little town. Cries from wounded, dying and scared people rose from the rubble. The four ran into the village in search of relatives, knowing what they were doing was a very wrong thing to do. They could get themselves killed. If Master Guido would see them now he would kill them personally, as he had ordered them to stay out of the village during the Night of Eternal Life. But the very young do not always do as they are told, so Alexandra, Laura, Dominico and Marco were now dodging fireblasts. They seemed to be fine for a few seconds but one of the attackers had spotted the four running and soon fired only at them until he detected no more movement.  
  
The moment the blasts hit the ground the four youngsters were thrown into the air and each landed in a pile of rubble. As they slowly faded away into their silent black worlds, rain started to fall, washing the blood and pain away from their faces and putting out the fires that were threatening to burn their fragile and broken bodies.  
  
It was somewhere at noon when the sun had finally found enough strength to break through the clouds of rain. The rain had washed most of the blood and dirt away. Here and there smoke was still rising from ruins of crumbled houses. Those who had survived the brutal attack, and were able to move around, were holding onto dead or injured relatives and friends. The entire village was in shock and therefore didn't notice the four strangers that were taking in the view at the entrance.  
  
"This couldn't have happened to long ago, Sir!" A tall blond woman looked from the view in front of her to an older man, obviously the leader of the four, and back to the warzone. One of the strangers, a tall black man with a golden tattoo on his forehead, moved further into the village to examine something he had seen on the ground.  
  
"Teal'c, you got something there?" The other three followed him to take a closer look at what the man had found.  
  
"I am uncertain O'Neill, but I think this village has been attacked by deathgliders."  
  
"What!" The older man's head shot up and he suspiciously looked around, searching for any remainders of the enemy. They jumped slightly when they heard a branch braking in half but sighed when it was only a big dog that came running past them out of the bushes.  
  
"Colonel, we might need some extra help and a medical team would be nice too!" The older man turned to the only woman in the team and nodded.  
  
"Carter, go back to the Gate and fill Hammond in on our situation! Jonas!" The youngest team member looked up to O'Neill. "You're with Carter!" He nodded and followed Carter back to the Gate.  
  
The two men left behind started to walk around, making themselves useful by helping free people from the rubble. They also started a headcount until the one called Teal'c interrupted his leader. He had found the four youngsters and figured that his friend would find them highly interesting, certainly when he saw what Teal'c saw.  
  
"Teal'c!"  
  
"Over here O'Neill!" The other man's head peeked over a small wall and when he saw his friend, walked past it. When he noticed the four youngsters he stopped dead in his tracks. He was used on seeing dead or badly injured people, but with children his stomach always made a flip-flop. The youngster's faces were deadly pale and still covered in some blood that hadn't been washed away by the rain. Their clothes were either soaked with blood, or burned into their pale skin. He could tell that if they weren't given any painkillers they would be in excruciating pains when they woke up ... unless they were dead.  
  
"Are they dead, Teal'c?"  
  
"No, I can feel a weak pulse in all four of them." O'Neill closed his eyes for a second and sighed deeply. When he opened them again his gaze fell on their foreheads. He moved closer and cleaned one of the girls' foreheads so he could have a better look at what he thought he had seen.  
  
"Isn't that..."  
  
"The symbol of the Tau'ri!" Teal'c looked from the girl to O'Neill and back. O'Neill's radio cracked a little and the woman's voice was heard.  
  
"Sir, you there?"  
  
"Go ahead, Carter!"  
  
"SG-2, 3 and a medical team have arrived, Sir! We'll be back at the village in about half an hour!"  
  
"Step on it, Carter! These people need help!" O'Neill looked at the four youngsters and silently prayed they wouldn't die in the next half-hour. He somehow knew they were special to these people and he knew they had some valuable information to share, like how they got the symbol of Earth on their foreheads.  
  
"Yes Sir! Carter out!"  
  
After a while O'Neill figured that the medical team would do a triage so he and Teal'c started to place all the deceased ones in one half of the already small marketplace. They were surprised to see that the locals didn't stop them from doing so. Soon the entire marketplace was full with dead people. O'Neill looked at his watch for the umpteenth time and sighed. A half-hour had passed and help hadn't yet arrived. He was just glad that they hadn't yet had to move the four youngsters to the marketplace.  
  
He just wanted to check the youngsters' pulse again when he heard some familiar voices enter the village. He walked back to the marketplace, leaving Teal'c with the four kids, to meet up with Carter and the others. He found them looking at all the dead men, women and children in front of them. Some of them had already turned away, just to make sure to keep their lunches inside.  
  
"Sir?" A petite brown-haired woman had noticed O'Neill and looked up at him. "How bad is it?"  
  
"3/4th of the villagers are dead. The rest are badly injured or lightly injured. There are four youngsters over there who look the worst, at least from the ones that are still alive."  
  
"Okay people, listen up!" The group turned at once to the petite woman, glad to look at something else than the dead ones. "The ones that are able to walk go there!" She pointed to the entrance of the village. "And give them the first aid they need most! I'll take a look at the ones who can't walk and triage them! Get to work!" The group started to split up. "Michaels, you're with me!" A young dark-skinned man nodded. "Colonel, where shall we start?" The woman had a pretty good idea where he wanted her to start but asked anyway.  
  
"Follow me, Doc!" Colonel O'Neill guided the woman to the four youngsters. The dog, he had first seen at the entrance, was sitting next to them, looking as sad as ever.  
  
"Oh my God!" The Doc hesitated for a second, trying to get her already upset stomach under control, but then started working on keeping the two twins alive. She once in a while ordered Michaels something to do and finally requested four boards. The dog had watched her every move and had once in a while growled a little but had never done anything to stop the Doctor from helping his friends. O'Neill knew that the dog wouldn't leave his friends alone and that he would step through the Gate if necessary.  
  
One by one the badly injured were given first aid until all of them were ready for transport. About an hour later the four SG-teams, about 35 survivors and one dog were ready to go to the Stone Ring to make a journey they wouldn't easily forget.  
  
X---------------X---------------X 


	2. Chapter II

Title: The Children of the Ring  
  
Rating: PG-13  
  
Summary: Well, the youngsters seem to have some surprising capabilities.  
  
Author's notes: Still liking it? ... Probably or you wouldn't be here, reading the second chapter. --------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
It had been three days since they had been to the attacked village. Most of the survivors had been taken to the Air Force Hospital in the neighborhood, except for the four youngsters. Colonel O'Neill had insisted they would be treated in the Base's infirmary.  
  
"Dr. Fraiser?" A big bald man entered the infirmary and found the Doctor checking up on her patients with the youngster's dog at her side.  
  
"General, Sir!" She looked up from the chart she was holding.  
  
"How are the four youngsters doing?" He looked at the kids and noticed they looked a lot better than three days ago.  
  
"They're doing just fine, Sir. They seem to be healing well and fast." Doc Fraiser saw a question mark appear on the General's face and smiled unwillingly. "Take a look at this, Sir!" She removed one of the bandages and a scratch came into view. The General's question mark was still into place. "This, Sir, was a third degree burn three days ago. Now, it's just a scratch and by tomorrow it will probably be gone. The four of them are most remarkable."  
  
"And what's with the dog?" He looked down at the dog, as he rubbed his head against the General's legs.  
  
"I don't know, Sir, but he hasn't left my side since Thursday. We tried to get him out of the infirmary but then he would start biting and growling. As long as he isn't forced anywhere he's a good boy." The Doctor ruffled through Finn's fur and the dog instantaneously growled happily. "See, we're good friends already!"  
  
"Notify me as soon as these kids wake up!" The General nodded and left the infirmary.  
  
Carter, who had been summoned to the infirmary by Dr. Fraiser, soon replaced him. She was greeted with a happy bark and smiled when she noticed the dog at the Doctor's side.  
  
"Hey Janet! Made a new friend?"  
  
"Hey Sam! Yes, I made a new friend and he follows me everywhere I go. And when I say everywhere, I mean everywhere!" The other woman got the idea and chuckled softly.  
  
"So, how are these four? And why did you need to see me?" Sam looked at the four youngsters, who were seemingly fast asleep.  
  
"These four are jus fine. They seem to have remarkable healing capabilities." Janet showed Sam the scratch, which used to be a third degree burn.  
  
"Wow, that's amazing! Do none of the other villagers exhibit these healing capabilities?"  
  
"Nope, just these four! But that's not everything." Dr. Fraiser handed Carter a chart and pointed out to one specific remark on it.  
  
"They have Naquada in their blood?" Sam looked from the chart to Janet to the four youngsters and back to the chart, not really believing what she had just read. "Then why can't I sense them?"  
  
"Sense who?" O'Neill came wandering into the infirmary, his hands stuffed into his pockets and a stupid grin on his face. He had obviously overheard Carter's last comment.  
  
"The twins."  
  
"Snakeheads?" His hands flying out of his pockets and his grin replaced by a suspicious look, he gazed at the four in the beds. That would of course explain the rapid healing.  
  
"No Sir, their tattoo contains traces of Naquada. They're neither Goa'uld nor Tok'ra." Janet looked at the taller man, assuring him that the twins were no thread to him or the Base.  
  
"Uh ... Doc, is he allowed to do that?" O'Neill looked past the Doctor and pointed at the dog. He had jumped on one of the beds and was frantically licking one of the girl's faces.  
  
"Finn ... stop it!" The girl tried hard to make her companion go away but Finn wouldn't listen that easily. "Stop it, Finn!" Pushing the dog away the girl got a better view on her surroundings. The grey walls, the three people in the room and the guards at the door looked unfamiliar to her and at once she realized she wasn't at home anymore.  
  
"Hello." One of the three human beings, who were in the room, was suddenly standing next to her bed. "Can you tell me your name?" The girl studied the petite woman next to her for a while before she answered the question.  
  
"Alexandra." She had noticed Finn liked the woman and therefore considered it safe enough to reveal her name. The woman looked reliable to the girl but Master Guido had told them that trust had to be earned. You could never trust a person on first sight but the girl had the feeling she could trust these people even though she knew none of them. But then again that would probably change soon enough. "Where am I? And what are these for?" Alexandra pointed at all the wires and the IV-line attached to her body.  
  
"To monitor you." The girl looked confused. "To keep an eye on your life signs."  
  
"I no longer need them!" And before Dr. Fraiser could object and tell Alexandra otherwise, she had already removed all the wires and had pulled the IV-line out of her arm, causing the hart monitor to show an unnecessary flat line. "Laura! Dominico! Marco! Wake up! I think it's safe!" To the trio's utter amazement the other three youngsters woke up at once and did the same with the wires and the IV-line as Alexandra had done. "Now, tell us who you are? Where we are? And how in the Stars' name did we get here?"  
  
"Uh ... aren't we supposed to be the ones asking all the questions here?" Sam chuckled softly to O'Neill's fine remark.  
  
"Seeing you are fine..." The four suddenly gasped. "What?" Carter turned around to see why the youngsters were, all of a sudden, acting so weird.  
  
"A Jaffa? You have Jaffa in your midst? This is wrong. This is not right!" Marco looked from the big black man, who had just rounded the corner, to his three companions, shaking his head in the process. "This is so not right!"  
  
"Hey!" O'Neill waved his arms a little. "This is Teal'c! He's a good guy!" The Colonel's efforts were to no avail as the youngsters kept repeating it was a very wrong thing.  
  
"Colonel O'Neill, Sir!" They turned back to the door as they heard the guard, who had left a couple of minutes before. "General Hammond is waiting for you, your team, Doctor Fraiser and the four kids in the briefing room."  
  
"Thank you, Airman." The guard nodded curtly and then returned to his spot by the door. "You heard the man. Teal'c, go find Jonas." The Jaffa left to find the other team member. The others took the youngsters, after giving them proper clothing and shoes, to the briefing room. The four of them had accepted the clothing only after they were given two different colors. They refused to wear the shoes because they had never before needed them. Finn retook his place next to the Doctor and followed her to wherever she was going.  
  
X---------------X---------------X 


	3. Chapter III

Title: The Children of the Ring  
  
Rating: PG-13  
  
Summary: SG-1 finds out who the youngsters are and where they come from. And Fraiser gets the surprise of her life.  
  
Author's notes: Still in the running! You must really like it then! --------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
As soon as the four youngsters entered the briefing room General Hammond welcomed them. He motioned for them to sit down at the wooden oval table but instead of doing so they walked over to the window and admired the Gate.  
  
"A Stone Ring! That's good!" Marco nodded pleased by what he saw and smiled happily. "They have a Ring. That's very good!"  
  
"I think these people are strange." Laura looked from the Gate to the people in the room.  
  
"Finn doesn't seem to think so." Dominico smiled, seeing how the dog was constantly asking for the Doctor's attention. To be honest they had never seen him like that before.  
  
"No, he has already chosen a new Keeper so that must mean we can trust these people. They'll help us." Alexandra turned back to the Gate. "Guys ... look!" The three turned around as well and were just in time to see the water jump forward establishing a vertical pool. The youngsters had jumped back frightened but when another team stepped through it they were awe struck.  
  
"Welcome home, SG-12!"  
  
Not much later they had finally managed to get the youngsters to sit down around the table in the middle of the briefing room. They had General Hammond on their left, Dr. Fraiser on their right and the team on the opposite side.  
  
"Well now, why don't I start with a little introduction and a small explanation." Hammond looked at his first team. "This is SG-1, my flag team, consisting of Colonel Jack O'Neill, Major Sam Carter, Teal'c and Jonas Quinn. These people came to the rescue three days ago and saved the four of you together with 31 others of your planet. That's Doctor Janet Fraiser. She took care of you." Hammond took a moment to take a deep breath and then continued. "You four were treated here in the Base's infirmary while the others were taken care of in a nearby Air Force Hospital. Most of them are fine and already asked about you. Now, we would like to know..."  
  
"...What happened to us? Why we carry this symbol on our forehead? Who we are? That sort of thing?" The other side of the table, as well as the head as the end, nodded eagerly. "Well, we could answer all those questions but then you still wouldn't know who we are!"  
  
"So, we will just tell you our story from the beginning. But first we need to know how many days there are in one of your years?"  
  
"365 days! Why..." Carter looked at the opposite side of the table, a bit confused.  
  
"Just to make it easier for you to follow on our little tale. First, a little introduction. I'm Alexandra and that's my twin sister Laura. The boys on my left are Dominico and his twin brother Marco. The dog is called Finn and he's our Seeker, more about that later. Now we can start our tale!"  
  
"The Giver of Life gave us our live 16 of your years ago." Marco started their tale and the way he started it meant they were going to here the entire story. "We don't know where because we were never told who it was or where we came from. We only know that we, all four of us, come from beyond the stars. When we first arrived in the little village we were placed under the good care of Master Guido, our first Keeper chosen by the Giver of Life. He looked after us the moment he was chosen and taught us everything we know now. He taught us the Way of Othala, like he was ordered to do." Unknown to the youngsters the others at the table exchanged strange looks as soon as they had heard Othala being mentioned.  
  
"We were raised in that village you found us in." Laura took over from her friend and continued. "We were occasionally real brats but most of the time we were wandering through the forests and fields learning about life itself. When we turned 12, we received our tattoo as a symbol of our existence. From then on we had to study the Scrolls. They foresaw the Night of Eternal Life and the coming of four strangers. It would all take place the night after our 16th birthday ... and as you already know it did happen."  
  
"We know we are no ordinary children. We are capable of doing things that others can't. We have these healing capabilities. We have perfect hearing, eyesight, feeling, taste, ... Our senses our highly developed. We have always wondered how come we were so different from all the rest but Master Guido said that one day we would be told why but it wasn't his job and it wasn't time yet."  
  
"The only thing he ever wanted to reveal to us about who we are was ... that..." Alexandra looked at the others, somehow seeking approval to finish her sentence. "We are the ... Children of the Ring, whatever that means." Bit by bit the youngsters had revealed their life to Hammond, SG-1 and Fraiser.  
  
"Wow, that was ... very enlightening!" Jonas straightened his back and looked at his friends. "But ... uhm..."  
  
"I guess you want to say that you have even more questions than before our tale."  
  
"Yeah, I think we do. Why don't I start from the beginning with my questions, if that's okay with you?" The youngsters nodded and waited for the questions to come. "You spoke about a 'Giver of Life'. What exactly do you mean with that? Is that your mother? Or what?" The two twins looked at each other, confused.  
  
"What do you mean? What ... what's a 'mother'?" SG-1 looked at each other, surprised that the four didn't know the meaning of the word 'mother'. "Is that something like a Keeper?"  
  
"What's a Keeper?" Carter looked at the four youngsters, wondering if they just used different words or really didn't know what a mother was.  
  
"Well, as we told you the Keeper looks after us, teaches us, feeds us, clothes us, raises us. Master Guido was our Keeper but now that he's gone we need a new one. And Finn has been trained to find us a new one in case something would happen to Master Guido. A 'Giver of Life', on the other hand, is someone who gives life."  
  
"By the way Finn has already found us a new Keeper." Laura looked at Janet, who was obviously not paying attention, as she was once again too busy with the dog.  
  
"You mean that ... Doctor Fraiser..." Jonas started hesitantly.  
  
"What?" Janet looked up to find the entire table staring at her. "Uh ... something wrong? Why are you all staring at me?" One look at her friends told her she had missed something important, probably something that had something to do with her. "What did I miss?"  
  
"Oh not much, just that you are the kids' new Keeper!" Jack looked at the Doctor and enjoyed the surprised look he got back from Fraiser.  
  
"I am their what?"  
  
"Finn chose you to be our new Keeper. He fulfilled his first task, finding us a new Keeper. Now he has to look for the three other strangers that will help us in our fight."  
  
"Three other strangers? To do what?" Carter quickly changed the subject before Fraiser could object to her new role as Keeper.  
  
"They will help us in our fight against the Bringer of Death and Destruction. They will accompany us on our journey."  
  
"Does the Keeper have to come along as well?" Janet looked at the four kids, hoping against hope the answer would be negative but she would probably be tagging along for the ride anyway.  
  
"Of course, who has to look after us if the Keeper isn't there!"  
  
"Of course!" The Doc sighed and started to accept she was royally screwed.  
  
X---------------X---------------X 


	4. Chapter IV

Title: The Children of the Ring  
  
Rating: PG-13  
  
Summary: What shall we do with the drunken sailor ... uh, I mean Alexandra & Co?  
  
Author's notes: Oh look, you've reached chapter 4! --------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
The four youngsters had been taken to a VIP-room while General Hammond, Doctor Fraiser and SG-1 continued their meeting. The kids hadn't objected to their removal, as they knew that their new friends had to talk about what to do next.  
  
"Well, what do we think about these four kids?" Jack looked around the table. He had his own thoughts about the youngsters and wasn't going to voice them until he knew what the others thought of them.  
  
"Well, sir, to be honest I don't know what to make of them." Jack looked surprised at his 2IC. She didn't know what to make of the twins. That was new. "But they spoke of Othala and that is more than enough to get our attention."  
  
"I agree!"  
  
"You think the Asgard have something to do with it?" Jonas looked at his team members.  
  
"What I find strange is that they don't know what a mother is, although their Keeper seems to be their equivalent of that, but still ... who gave them their lives 16 years ago?"  
  
"The Asgard experiment with cloning, right?" Jonas looked back at Sam. "What if the twin's Giver of Life was an Asgard?"  
  
"You know we could do a DNA-test, just to see how they were engineered?" Sam looked at Janet, who was still sulking over her role as the twin's new Keeper.  
  
"Okay, SG-1 you have a go to seek out the answers with the Asgard. Dr. Fraiser, I want you to do a DNA-test on the four youngsters. Dismissed!" General Hammond got up and walked to his office but before he walked in and closed the door behind him, he turned around to his first team. "You'll leave in an hour."  
  
In the meantime the youngsters had made themselves comfortable in the VIP-room. They were curiously looking around at the strange furniture and the strange plants, which they had never seen before.  
  
"What do you think they are talking about?" Laura didn't even look up from the plant she was studying. It was a long, thin green plant and it seemed to have needles on the outside. It had no flowers and it didn't seem like the plant to ever have flowers. The ground in which it was planted was extremely dry so the thing didn't like water that much but how did it survive without life-giving water. Laura was so fascinated by it that she couldn't take her eyes of the plant. "And what kind of plant would this be? It's extremely fascinating."  
  
"I think they're discussing what they're gonna do with us." Marco turned around one more time. He was sprawled all over the long seat that was nice and soft and didn't hurt his back. "Did you notice how bad Dr. Fraiser reacted when we revealed she is our new Keeper?"  
  
"Maybe she was just shocked Finn had chosen her and not someone more suitable..." Alexandra moved her tower-shaped piece across the black and white board, and in doing so capturing Dominico's animal-shaped piece. "Oh, I don't know. Anyway, as soon as Finn has found the remaining three persons we can leave on our mission."  
  
"You mean, go back home and found out where exactly we have to go looking for the Bringer of Death and Destruction." Dominico overlooked the board and decided to move his tower-like piece back to its original place.  
  
"What exactly are you guys doing?" Marco had left his seat and was looking at the strange game his brother and friend were playing. "How did you know how to play it anyway? I've never seen something like this before."  
  
"I don't know. We just seem to know what the rules are." Alexandra's head shot up and at once they all turned to the door. "Someone is coming!" And right at that moment the door flew open to reveal their new Keeper.  
  
"Hi!" Laura got up from the ground, reluctantly leaving the new plant behind, and walked over to Janet. "Can we help you with something?" The Doctor looked at the four youngsters in front of her. She didn't feel comfortable with them. Maybe because now she was really responsible for them, not like when she was just their Doctor.  
  
"I see you found the chess-game." She walked further into the room, closing the door behind her.  
  
"So that's what it's called! Chess!" Dominico looked from Janet to Alexandra.  
  
"Yes, and I win..." The girl moved her animal-like piece and smiled widely. "Check...mate!"  
  
"Wait! You never heard or seen the game before but you do know how to play it. Isn't that..."  
  
"Weird?" Marco looked at the board. "I'll say!"  
  
"Could I have some hair from you four?" Janet looked at the four youngsters, who returned her look with a seriously confused one.  
  
"What ... what do you need our hair for?" Laura was holding her precious pigtail in her hand. She wasn't going to cut it off, not even for her Keeper.  
  
"She wants to do a DNA-test." Alexandra turned around and closed the chess- game. Turning back to her Keeper she smiled. "You want to know who we really are." The girl pulled a few hairs out of her tail and put them in the bag Janet gave her. She wrote her name on it in curly letters and waited patiently for her sister and friends to do the same.  
  
"General Hammond ordered me to do it." Janet looked at the youngsters, who handed her the bags. Why was she telling them the General had ordered her to do it anyway? They didn't need to know that or was she feeling like a true Keeper already. She shook the thought off her mind and turned around, ready to leave the room again and the teenagers. She didn't know if she could survive four teenagers. No, right there and then she decided she wasn't going to play these children's baby-sitter.  
  
X---------------X---------------X 


	5. Chapter V

Title: The Children of the Ring  
  
Rating: PG-13  
  
Summary: Dr. Fraiser is a tiny bit frustrated.  
  
Author's notes: Well, if you worked your way through this chapter I might have to disappoint you...chapter 6 isn't finished yet! But don't worry, I'm working on it! --------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Janet sat behind her desk, bend over her paperwork trying hard to concentrate but that didn't seem to go well as she suddenly threw her pencil to the other side of the room in utter frustration.  
  
"Damn it!"  
  
"Doctor Fraiser, you okay?" One of the nurses popped her head inside after hearing the pencil hit the wall and the rather strong curse. Right at that point Janet's head made its way down to her desk. It was all too much. She had asked the lab to do the DNA-test as fast as they could and they had promised her she would have the results back by six in the evening but that was still 2 hours away.  
  
"What's taking them so long?"  
  
"SG-1 will be back soon, Ma'am!" The nurse had slowly made her way in, trying hard to disturb the obviously stressed out Doctor.  
  
"I'm not talking about the goddamn team! I'm talking about the..." The rest of the sentence was lost in a frustrated grumble. The nurse had found the pencil and put it back on the desk. In doing so she was standing close to her CMO, who took the pencil wrote something down and threw it down when the phone rang. "Fraiser!" The one who was on the other end of the line must have surely jumped a few feet in the air as the Doctor wasn't all too friendly. "I don't care!" The receiver flew back down and the noise made the nurse jump.  
  
"Doctor, maybe it's a good idea if you take some time to relax!"  
  
"I don't need time to relax!" Janet had gotten up and was pacing the length of her office.  
  
"From what I've heard you might need it, Ma'am!" The nurse soon wished she had kept her mouth about what she had heard had happened in the briefing room.  
  
"What did the grapevine tell you this time, Lt. Rush?" Janet had stopped pacing and walked over to the young nurse. "Did they tell you that those four teenagers think they are the world and everything and everyone should follow their wishes? Is that what the grapevine is telling?"  
  
"Um..." Lt. Rush backed away as Doctor Fraiser was yelling at her. Help was needed and much appreciated.  
  
"Janet?" Rush sighed deeply as Sam was suddenly standing in the doorway of the office. Rush apologized and walked out of the room before the Doc could explode and do something to her, which she sure wouldn't be able to retell to the already filled grapevine.  
  
"She's a little tense so be careful with what you say!" Sam smiled and nodded understandingly as Rush passed her.  
  
"I'm not tense." Janet gritted through her teeth and smashed her fist into the wall, hurting herself in the process. Carter jumped as she witnessed her friend's aggression. "Let's go have some coffee in the commissary... and find some ice to put on your hand, shall we?" Sam pulled her friend out of the office, into the infirmary to get her some ice to put on her hand, which Sam thought was surely broken.  
  
Sam was glad not too many people were taking their daily coffee break right at the moment they were going to take it. She wasn't sure however if coffee was the best thing to get the Doctor to calm down a little. But she knew that all her best friend had to do was talk about what was bothering her so badly. Although Carter had a pretty good idea what was bothering her friend, she wasn't prepared for what she was about to hear. They placed themselves in one of the more silent corners where they could have a decent chat.  
  
"So, tell me, what's wrong?" Carter looked at Janet, who was just staring into her coffee. "Lt. Rush will think twice next time she tries to help you with something other than infirmary-stuff."  
  
"He should have been their Keeper."  
  
"What?" Carter thought she had heard Janet say something but because it was nothing more then a whisper and the fact that she was still staring at her coffee had made it impossible for her to hear what she had said exactly.  
  
"I miss him." Janet looked up from her coffee and if Sam hadn't known any better she saw tears in the doctor's eyes. "He would have been a great Keeper and the youngsters would have loved him." Sam didn't know what to say so she said nothing.  
  
At that moment Finn wandered into the commissary, sniffling in the air, obviously looking for someone. As soon as he got the right person he walked to the table where Sam and Janet were sitting. Carter noticed him and smiled.  
  
"Guess who's here?" Janet turned around and found Finn standing next to her, holding something in his mouth. "Hey buddy, come to join us?" He looked from Carter to Janet and dropped what he was holding into Janet's hands, who gasped as she recognized it. The dog sat down and started whining softly. "What is it?" Carter reached over the table to see what her friend was holding, but failed.  
  
"He brought us this!" Janet showed Carter the piece of paper she got from Finn.  
  
"A picture of Daniel! Where did he get it?" Sam looked at the dog, waiting for an answer that would never come.  
  
"Sam, I have a strange feeling about this."  
  
"About what? The picture?" Janet shook her head but didn't say why she was having a strange feeling as Jack and Jonas entering the commissary suddenly interrupted them.  
  
"Carter ... Doc, Hammond wants us in the briefing room. Apparently your DNA- results have arrived and Thor will be here shortly as well." The two women got up and followed Jonas out. Jack caught Carter at the door and stopped her. "What's wrong with Doc? And why is she holding an ice-package?"  
  
"I don't know exactly what's wrong with her but I think I have a pretty good idea. And I think she broke her hand when she slammed it into the wall of her office." Carter looked at her CO.  
  
"Ouch."  
  
X---------------X---------------X 


	6. Chapter VI

Title: The Children of the Ring  
  
Rating: PG-13  
  
Spoilers: Revelations, Fragile Balance  
  
Summary: Heimdall explains.  
  
Author's notes: Here it is ... chapter 6. The planet's address says what I thought of X-men 2. Just turn 969 into a word (hint: the numbers equal letters and if you look at your mobiles you know what I mean). --------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Jack had ordered Janet to get her hand checked out as it looked fairly swollen and bruises were visible on her knuckles. She wasn't getting into the briefing room if she hadn't been by the infirmary first. Dr. Warner had done an X-ray and had found nothing broken, but it had been a close call. He had forced her into wearing a sling so she wasn't tempted to use the hand any time soon. She would be out of business for about a week.  
  
While they had to wait for Thor to show up in the briefing room, they had a first look at the results of the DNA-tests. The ones who more or less understood what the report said were staring at it in disbelief and the rest were staring at them questioningly, waiting for a reasonable answer. The moment Janet had opened the file she had started rambling about the youngster's DNA and once in a while Carter had added something to her ramblings. Eventually General Hammond and Colonel O'Neill had simultaneously ordered them to shut up and sit their asses down in their chairs. When both Majors had finally calmed down a little Jonas had the chance to ask them about what the results of the tests said but unfortunately for him and the others, Thor chose that exact moment to beam himself into the briefing room, scaring the hell out of the people sitting there.  
  
"Welcome to the SGC, Great Commander Thor!" General Hammond looked at the grayish alien at the end of the table. "I hope you can help us."  
  
"Greetings General Hammond!" The alien scanned the room and his big black eyes rested on Colonel O'Neill. "O'Neill, I received your message. What is your problem?"  
  
"About a week ago we bumped into four youngsters on PX2-969." Sam started to explain their unusual problem. "There had been a recent Goa'uld-attack and the four of them were in real bad shape but now they are as healthy as ever."  
  
Jack looked at his alien friend. "And not to forget they spoke of Othala!"  
  
"Why did we found our DNA?" Janet looked at the Roswell-gray alien and patiently waited for answer.  
  
"Dr. Fraiser?" General Hammond looked at his CMO, a bit shocked by her unusual question.  
  
"Sir, the reason Major Carter and I were rambling on about things is because the youngster's DNA resembles ours." Hammond's question mark grew and he wasn't the only one with a flashing neon-sign above his head reading 'Hu?'. Jack looked from his 2IC to the Doctor.  
  
"Who's DNA?" He kind of knew the answer but liked to hear it anyway, just to be on the save side.  
  
"The youngster's DNA is a cocktail of DNA originating from..." Fraiser directed herself to the General. "Colonel O'Neill, Major Carter, Dr. Jackson and myself. If I wouldn't know any better I'd say that the twins are our children."  
  
"Uhm ... if they have SG-1's DNA, shouldn't they be looking like them when they were younger?" Jonas looked at the Doctor. His question was the obvious-next-question kind of type.  
  
"We enhanced them." All heads turned to Thor at once. "Yes, we did use some of your DNA and mixed it with a few other genes. Heimdall is their Giver of Life."  
  
"Thor, are these two twins really 16 years old or did they receive a rapid- growth gene." Sam looked at the alien, wondering if the twins were indeed 16, which meant they were created long before the beginning of the Stargate- project.  
  
"Sir, don't you think the youngsters should be here too." O'Neill looked from Thor to his CO. "They have a right to know who they are, don't you think?"  
  
"I will call Heimdall so she can explain how she made the four youngsters. She knows more than I do about her creation." Before anyone could protest Thor disappeared out of the briefing room, only to reappear moments later with Heimdall in tow.  
  
"Greetings Earthlings! Thor explained to me you have found the Children of the Ring?" Heimdall looked at each one of them, pleased with the way things had gone. "Can I see them?" General Hammond nodded to the Airman at the door. He nodded back and walked away to get the four youngsters, who he knew we're going to be in for a surprise.  
  
Not much later the two twins wandered into the briefing room, Finn following them like a puppy. Janet noticed Laura was rubbing her finger with a painful look crossing her face. She figured the girl had finally found out what the cactus was capable of doing. Janet wasn't in the least bit surprised she knew which girl was Laura. It seemed as if she had known these kids her whole life and not just a few days. The four jumped back as they saw the aliens and immediately retreated to where their Keeper was sitting.  
  
"It's okay, kids!" O'Neill smiled at the children. "These people here, they are friends of ours. That one's called Thor and this is Heimdall. She is your Giver of Life." The four youngsters curiously looked at the tiny alien across the table, retreating even closer to where Janet was sitting.  
  
"I see our Guardian has already found a new Keeper." Heimdall looked at Janet and cocked her head when she saw how her creations gathered at her side.  
  
"Heimdall will tell you more about the Children of the Ring." Thor looked at the scientist and nodded, giving her the opportunity to explain.  
  
"First of all, the planet you found the Children on is a protected planet. The Goa'uld that attacked broke the treaty. The people have a legend of which the Children already told you some things. I gave the people a gift that would help them the moment the legend would become true."  
  
"You knew the Goa'uld would attack that planet no matter what the treaty said?" O'Neill interrupted Heimdall, who didn't even look at him but continued her story.  
  
"I decided to create four children and used your DNA because I needed them to look familiar to the people of the planet, and eventually to you. The dog is a creation as well. He is their Guardian and he is the one that will find the four people that will accompany them on their trip to fight the Goa'uld as it says in the legend." Heimdall looked at the people around the table, her big black eyes resting on the new Keeper. "You wonder how we were able to retrieve some of your DNA to create the Children, are you not? The Children aren't 16 years old as they think they are. They are in fact only a few years old, 5 of your years to be exact. We retrieved the necessary DNA on one of the very first occasions you met Thor. Knowing whose DNA I used you also know who the three other people are Finn must find." The dog raised his head as he heard his name being mentioned, and promptly got up to walk first to Carter, licking her hand frantically and nudging his head to her legs, and then to Jack, doing the same to him. But then he looked up to Heimdall, howling softly as he knew he couldn't find the fourth member of the team.  
  
"Why is he doing that?" Jonas looked at the dog, feeling slightly left out.  
  
"Because he's looking for Daniel." Jonas looked from the dog to Fraiser, who was staring down on her still swollen hand. "Daniel is the fourth member." Sam noticed how emotional that last statement sounded but she knew that his death/ascension had been quite hard on the Doctor. She hadn't been able to safe him from his faith.  
  
"Yes, you are right. I know he is not here. You told me when we met last time what had happened to him. But if the Children of the Ring want to succeed and defeat the Goa'uld that has attacked their planet then we need Daniel Jackson."  
  
"Can't Jonas help us here?" Jack looked at the younger man, whom he had come to trust. "He can take Daniel's place. He's a good man and he can surely take on a Goa'uld."  
  
"I'm afraid..." Heimdall started but she was interrupted by a gasp coming from the Doctor.  
  
"Daniel?" Everybody around the table turned their heads to the door, eyes wide and mouths dropping a couple of inches. Jack just sighed.  
  
X---------------X---------------X 


	7. Chapter VII

Title: The Children of the Ring  
  
Rating: PG-13  
  
Spoilers: Abyss  
  
Summary: Daniel is back and what has he got in store for his friends and family.  
  
Author's notes: A big thank you goes to my beta, Shannon! I hope you like this chapter as much as the rest. And just so you know the next one is being written as we speak so it won't be long before it arrives here as well. Enjoy!! --------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
After the initial shock of seeing Daniel standing in the doorway passed, Janet got up and walked slowly towards him. She felt the four youngster's eyes pinned to her back. The young archaeologist didn't move but waited patiently until the Doctor had reached him. She stretched her left hand out to him but instead of being able to touch him her hand flew right through him. She took a step back in horror, looking up to him as if he were a ghost, which he, technically kind of speaking, was. He looked down on her, smiling gently as if nothing was wrong with him and he was still the Daniel they all knew so well. Finn had finally noticed the man in the doorway and had recognized him as the fourth member. The dog ran up to him but to its utter amazement found itself running straight into the wall.  
  
"So, Danny boy, done some eavesdropping on us, ey?" Jack looked at the younger man, patiently waiting for an answer from his ascended friend. When the man didn't answer to the Colonel's question, Jack answered it for him. "Are you here to help or are you just gonna watch us fix the youngster's problem?"  
  
"You know I can't interfere, Jack." Daniel had walked over to the table and sat himself down opposite Jonas.  
  
"Yeah, I know." Jack remembered this all too well from the time he had been Ba'al's prisoner. He hadn't been able to persuade the younger man to help him then so he wouldn't be able to persuade him now, but he tried anyway. "But can't you make an exception for these kids?" Jack pointed at the two twins, who had once again retaken their place by their Keeper's side.  
  
"Isn't there anything you can do?" Sam looked at the man on the other side of the table. She still had a hard time believing he was really there, not in a solid form but they could see him. "Why are you ... here?"  
  
"I'm here to warn you." Daniel was studying the youngsters while he talked to the rest. Alexandra was the only one who dared to look back at him and before she knew what she was doing she walked over to him.  
  
"You know who the Bringer of Death and Destruction is." She closed the distance between Daniel and herself. "You know who we are and you know what we are capable of. That's why you are the fourth member and not Teal'c or Jonas. Oma Desala won't punish you for breaking the rules just this once. She knows who we are and that's why you are here. You are here to help us."  
  
"Wait a minute!" Jack looked at the girl. "How do you know about Oma?" Not getting an answer from Alexandra, he turned to Heimdall. "Heimdall, care to elaborate some more?"  
  
"As you know, we did have contact with the Ancients a long time ago. The Children of the Ring are what's left of them in this part of the galaxy. Yes, they were made with your DNA but not only yours. I also used DNA I got from the Ancients."  
  
"Which means..." Jack looked from Heimdall to the youngsters and back, "...What?"  
  
"They are descendants of Oma's race, Sir. And that's why Daniel has to be our fourth member and not Teal'c or Jonas." Sam had figured it out. Oma wouldn't punish Daniel for helping them and when they had solved the youngster's problem the four would probably ascend to some higher plane of existence.  
  
"So, that's settled then! What's next?" Jack looked at Daniel, wanting him to say something but again the archaeologist remained silent. "Didn't you say you were here to warn us?"  
  
"Yes, apparently I did, didn't I? Nirrta is the one who attacked the youngster's planet and he will keep on searching for them until he finds them." Daniel was looking at his friends on the other side of the table.  
  
"Why?" Jonas looked at the man that had given his life to safe millions of people he didn't know. He had great respect for him.  
  
"Who's Nirrta?" Jack looked at his young friend across the table. "Friend of Nirrti by any chance?"  
  
"First of all, the youngsters would make perfect hosts for the Goa'uld. And second, yeah, Nirrta is Nirrti's husband." Daniel frowned as he used to do and for a moment his friends had the idea nothing was different. He wasn't ascended; he was just there helping them with a problem, as he would do on any other day. "Apparently we have to help these youngsters in their fight against Nirrta."  
  
"So, that's what we'll do then! General?" Jack had already decided way before they knew who the youngsters really were and even before Daniel had appeared that they had to help the kids. "What do ya think?"  
  
"I think you have a go on finding the answers and kill this Nirrta before he can harm these kids, and in the process hurt us." General Hammond looked at the people in the briefing room, nodded and then disappeared in his office.  
  
"So Danny boy, wanna catch up on things before we leave on this mission?" Jack had gotten up with the General and was now on his way to the commissary for a nice bite, after waving Thor and Heimdall goodbye that was.  
  
"I need to talk to Dr. Fraiser first. I'll catch up with you later!" He looked at the petite Doctor on the other side of the table, gently smiling at her. The four youngsters took place at either side of Janet and stared at their last of four Guardian Angels. "Why don't we go to your office?" Daniel suggested to Janet. He then looked at the four kids. "Go with Jack! You'll need your strength. Go!" Surprisingly the kids did as they were asked and followed SG-1 to the commissary, leaving their Keeper alone with their Protector.  
  
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	8. Chapter VIII

Title: The Children of the Ring  
  
Rating: PG-13  
  
Spoilers: Rite of Passage, Meridian  
  
Summary: Daniel and Janet talk.  
  
Author's notes: Thank you Shannon, you wonderful beta of mine! :D Anyways, enjoy this somewhat short chapter! I promise to make the next one longer. --------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Daniel walked through the halls of the SGC, with Janet a little behind him. He didn't mind her staying behind him. She was afraid that she was dreaming and that if she would look away from him he would disappear, not to return ever again. She had missed him, his smiles and his gentle words when something was going awry. The way he acted around Cassie still made her laugh out loud sometimes. Her daughter always asked him thousand and one questions, to which he usually could find an answer. He had been a remarkable man.  
  
She was so in thought and not paying attention to the fact they had arrived at her office that she simply walked through him. When she realized what she had done she turned to him shocked but he returned the look with a simple smile.  
  
"I'm sorry!" she whispered and quickly disappeared into her office. He followed her in and closed the door behind him, not paying any attention to the people staring at him. He noticed that his companion had walked to her desk; leaning on it seemingly afraid she wasn't going to be able to keep her legs from carrying her any further. "Why?" At that moment that was all she could voice. She needed to know so much more but she couldn't get herself to ask more, let alone yell at him for leaving them.  
  
"Why what?" He was looking around the office and noticed that nothing much had changed since the last time he had been there. The only thing, he could see that had changed, was a picture of SG-1, Cassie and herself, standing next to her computer. He remembered the moment it was taken. It had been right after Cassie had been seriously ill and they had almost lost her. "You couldn't help me, Janet. I was beyond your help." She stared at him. "And you are the youngster's Keeper because you are a care-taker. You care more about helping others than thinking about yourself. You were wrong in the commissary when you said to Sam that I should have been their Keeper. I am only their guide; you are the one that they will need the most. They are already attached to you from what I have seen in the briefing room. They trust you and they would follow you wherever you would go. They know you have a daughter to take care of and they won't take her away from you. On the contrary they will show you things you and Cassie will need later in your lives." Daniel was still smiling as he took a few steps towards the petite Doctor. He could sense her fear of failing the youngsters and he knew that she would need all the help and support she could get from her friends. "You'll be a great Keeper. You're already doing a great job!" Another two steps and he was standing right in front of her, looking down at her. He could smell the sweet scent from her hair and for a moment he wished he had never helped the Kelownians but he knew he had done right by helping them, although he had sacrificed everything and everyone he had ever loved and cared about. "I miss you too!" He lifted his hand and touched her cheek lightly, and surprisingly to Janet she could feel his actual touch.  
  
"Daniel..." She was still not ready to let go of the desk, feeling her legs slowly giving away from under her. He bent his head a little and hesitated for a second, cupping her face he lowered his head somewhat more and then he kissed her. There went the legs and before she could drop to the ground, making a complete fool of herself, she felt his strong arms holding her tightly. A tear escaped from her eyes; he was solid.  
  
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	9. Chapter IX

Title: The Children of the Ring  
  
Rating: PG-13  
  
Summary: The youngsters end up in some sort of small fight.  
  
Author's notes: Okay, again a short chapter but I hope you'll enjoy it as much as the others. And yes, Jonas does participate in the food fight and I'm sure you'll read about that later. Also a big thank you goes to Shannon T, my wonderful beta! Enjoy!! --------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
The rest of the team and the four kids had gone to the commissary, as Daniel had told them to. The siblings hadn't yet been to the commissary and were in awe of all the different kinds of food displayed there. The Jell-O was more than intriguing enough and soon the four of them had one standing in front of them, four different colors, which were switched until each found their own taste. Much to Sam's amusement they seemed to have a liking to the vivid appearance of the food and soon pieces of it were flying from one side to the other.  
  
"Hey ... hey, stop that!" O'Neill looked at the four kids next to him and just at that moment a piece of blue Jell-O came flying straight into his face. The youngsters doubled over in laughter while Jack turned slowly to his 2IC, who looked at him innocently. "Carter, what was that for?"  
  
"What Sir?" Sam still looked as innocent as ever and hadn't seen that her CO was taking a piece of red Jell-O onto his fork. Before she knew what happened to her the red Jell-O hit her square in the face, leaving it dripping of her nose. Teal'c looked strangely at his friends, as they were now engaged into a full-fledged food fight. While he intended not to participate in this event, a slice of cheese landed on his head. Hearing the laughter coming from a table behind him, he turned around and strangely looked at the airmen covered in spaghetti sauce.  
  
"Come on, Teal'c! Take your revenge!" Dominico handed the Jaffa a spoon and a bowl of Jell-O. "It's the best ammo you can wish for!" Teal'c looked down to the Jell-O and back to the airmen who were still doubled over in laughter as the cheese was still in place on Teal'c's head. Gazing at the bowl he decided on using a somewhat different tactic than the youngsters had. Instead of using the spoon as his weapon he took the bowl in both hands, aimed and let the Jell-O fly to the nearest airman-head. The food fight happily continued until General Hammond ended it rather abruptly.  
  
"WHAT ON EARTH IS GOING ON HERE?!?" Hammond's voice boomed through the commissary and at once every single one of them jumped to attention. The four youngsters looked at each other and not knowing what to do they jumped to attention as well. "Well, anybody care to explain?"  
  
"Well Sir..." Jonas started but one swift kick in the butt shut him up quite quickly.  
  
"And who's going to clean this mess?" General Hammond had finally spotted the four youngsters and just knew they had something to do with it, although his 2IC didn't seem all too innocent either. He sighed and looked around the room, at all the messy airmen. Some of them were actually grinning like idiots and others were trying hard not to laugh out loud. He couldn't help but chuckle softly. "SG-1, get yourselves cleaned up, you have a mission to go on to! The rest of you..." Hammond waved his hand dismissing them and when he stepped through the door, out of the commissary he could hear the entire room burst out into a full-scale laughter. He shook his head, chuckled softly and left with a small smile on his face. Someone was going to pay for the mess they made but not right now.  
  
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	10. Chapter X

Title: The Children of the Ring  
  
Rating: PG-13  
  
Summary: Getting dressed for an important mission...  
  
Author's notes: Okay, I know it has been a while but since school started again I hadn't had much time to devote to fanfic. So, my promise for the new year...make more time for fanfic. I'd like to thank Shannon, my wonderful beta. And I would like to wish you all ... Happy Holidays, a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!! --------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
The four youngsters were sitting in the locker room staring at each other. They were supposed to change into clothes given to them, as their own clothes had been thrown away. They wondered what could possibly be wrong with a simple trouser and a T-shirt. Instead they were supposed to put on black or brown socks, green or brown pants, a black or a brown T- shirt, a green or a brownish jacket and something that was called a flack vest. Their Guardian had even ordered them into wearing boots instead of going barefoot. The clothes had been given to them but they didn't know what to do with them. They didn't even know what order they should use to cloth themselves. Their Keeper was supposed to explain that to them but she was nowhere in sight. Finn was sitting at the door, looking from one youngster to the next, wondering why they weren't getting themselves ready or maybe why they weren't playing with him. The four looked up from the clothes in front of them when the door opened to reveal both Guardian and Keeper. "Okay, are you..." Daniel looked at the four sitting inside and sighed. "Janet, I think they need some help." "Ya think?" She smiled as she saw the confused looks on the youngsters' faces. "Okay, let's get this show on the road, shall we?" She looked up to Daniel and together they walked into the room, only to reappear about 30 minutes later. "Uh ... hello!" Janet and Daniel turned around as they heard Laura call out. They were just in time to see both Laura and Marco trip over their shoelaces and meet the ground. Alexandra and Dominico doubled over in laughter but they soon met the same faith as their siblings, who in turn started laughing. Therefore they ended up tying the youngsters' laces, smiling as the four paid attention to their every move. "Now, we're finally ready to go!" The four looked at each other and nodded. They liked what they saw and followed the couple to the gate room where they were just in time to see the seventh chevron lock into place and the Gate spring to life. The burst made the four jump but they were nonetheless awestruck. General Hammond gave his flag team a once over, looking at each one of them. His gaze lingered on the four youngsters who had started this whole adventure. They looked excited about their upcoming trip, even though they were going to step into the unknown, as they didn't really have an idea about the greatness of their upcoming mission. His gaze moved to the young descended archaeologist, his left hand gently resting on the Doctor's right shoulder. It hadn't left that place since they had walked into the gate room. He wondered what those two had been doing when Daniel had sent the others to the commissary. Hammond then looked at Jonas and Teal'c, probably feeling a little left out, as Finn hadn't even looked at them but O'Neill had simply refused to leave them at home, whether the youngsters' dog agreed or not, as they were too valuable to his team. Sam met the General's gaze as he looked at her and nodded confidently. He knew she would do anything to make things better for the youngsters, just as her CO would do. And finally he looked at Colonel O'Neill, who was giving his gear one last look over. General Hammond knew he was a great man, who could do great things if only he would ease on his sarcasm, but then again that was usually the thing that could break the ice or get them out an awkward situation for that matter. "Colonel O'Neill!" The man in question looked up at his CO and nodded. "Go find the answers and please come back in one piece if that's even remotely possible." "Will do, Sir! Thank you!" General Hammond nodded once more and looked as his first team walked up the ramp and through the wormhole, seeking the answers to their problems. Hammond wondered how long they were going to be away, even though Colonel O'Neill had promised him to keep him posted on what they were doing, so they could expect some calls. "Good luck and please let this be a safe journey!" The General murmured to himself, before retreating in his office for some paperwork that needed his attention.  
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End file.
